Stretched laminate, method of manufacturing thin polarizer, thin polarizer manufactured by the method, and polarizing plate including the thin polarizer

ABSTRACT

Provided is a stretched laminate for manufacturing a thin polarizer while increasing the degree of orientation of a polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex without problems such as breakage. In addition, there are provided a method of manufacturing a thin polarizer having superior optical characteristics by using the stretched laminate, a thin polarizer manufactured by the method, and a polarizing plate including the thin polarizer.

This application is a National Stage Entry of International ApplicationNo. PCT/KR2014/005256, filed Jun. 16, 2014, and claims the benefit ofKorean Application No. 10-2013-0069636 filed on Jun. 18, 2013, andKorean Application No. 10-2014-0071701, filed Jun. 12, 2014, all ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for allpurposes as if fully set forth herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a stretched laminate, a method ofmanufacturing a thin polarizer, a thin polarizer manufactured by themethod, and a polarizing plate including the thin polarizer.

BACKGROUND ART

Polarizers included in polarizing plates are optical devices forpolarizing natural light or arbitrarily polarized light in a particulardirection, and are widely used in display devices such as liquid crystaldisplays (LCDs) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays.Currently, polyvinyl alcohol-based polarizing films, containing aniodine-based compound or a dichroic dye and having a molecular structurein which molecular chains are oriented in a particular direction, aregenerally used as polarizers of display devices.

As disclosed in many patent documents of the related art, polyvinylalcohol-based polarizing films are commonly manufactured by dyeing apolyvinyl alcohol-based film with iodine or a dichroic dye, stretchingthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film in a particular direction, andperforming a cross-linking process. In this case, the stretching processmay be a wet stretching process using a solution such as an aqueousboric acid solution or an aqueous iodine solution, or a dry stretchingprocess performed in the atmosphere.

The optical characteristics of a polarizing plate including such apolyvinyl alcohol-based polarizing film are dominantly affected by aniodine complex functioning as a dichroic dye, and it is important toincrease the degree of orientation of a polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complexfor improving optical characteristics of the polarizing plate. However,it may be difficult to improve the degree of orientation of such aniodine complex.

Furthermore, in the above-described manufacturing process of the relatedart, the thickness of a polyvinyl alcohol-based film has to be 60 μm orgreater before stretching so as to prevent breakage of the polyvinylalcohol-based film during stretching. In this case, however, there is alimit to reducing the thickness of a polarizer by stretching.

Therefore, there is a need for a new technique for manufacturing a thinpolarizer having a thickness of 10 μm or less without failures such asbreakages while improving the optical characteristics of the thinpolarizer by increasing the degree of orientation of a polyvinylalcohol-iodine complex.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An aspect of the present disclosure may include a stretched laminate formanufacturing a thin polarizer while increasing the degree oforientation of a polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex without problems suchas breakage. Other aspects of the present disclosure may provide amethod of manufacturing a thin polarizer having superior opticalcharacteristics by using the stretched laminate, a thin polarizermanufactured by the method, and a polarizing plate including the thinpolarizer.

Technical Solution

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a stretched laminatemay be formed by stretching a laminate including: a non-stretchedpolymer film; and a non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film attachedto at least one surface of the non-stretched polymer film, wherein L,expressed by Formula 1 below, satisfies 0≦L≦0.125,

$\begin{matrix}{L = \left\lbrack {\left\{ {\left( \frac{d_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{d_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{d_{PVA}}{d_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2} + \left\{ {\left( \frac{W_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{W_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{W_{PVA}}{W_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2}} \right\rbrack^{0.5}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$where d_(o,sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer film beforestretching, d_(sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer film afterstretching, d_(o,PVA) refers to a thickness of the polyvinylalcohol-based film before stretching, d_(PVA) refers to a thickness ofthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching, W_(o,sub′) refers toa width of the polymer film before stretching, W_(sub′) refers to awidth of the polymer film after stretching, W refers to a width of thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film before stretching, and W_(PVA) refers to awidth of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching.

The polymer film may have a maximum stretching ratio of 5 times orgreater at a temperature of 20° C. to 80° C. For example, the polymerfilm may be a high-density polyethylene film, a thermoplasticpolyurethane film, a polypropylene film, a polyolefin film, anester-based film, a low-density polyethylene film, a film formed bycoextruding high-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene, acopolymerization resin film in which ethylene vinyl acetate is includedin high-density polyethylene, an acrylic film, a polyethyleneterephthalate film, a polyvinyl alcohol-based film, and acellulose-based film. Particularly, the polymer film may be athermoplastic polyurethane film.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofmanufacturing a thin polarizer may include: forming a laminate byattaching a non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film to at least onesurface of a non-stretched polymer film; and stretching the laminatesuch that L, expressed by Formula 1 below, satisfies 0≦L≦0.125,

$\begin{matrix}{L = \left\lbrack {\left\{ {\left( \frac{d_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{d_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{d_{PVA}}{d_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2} + \left\{ {\left( \frac{W_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{W_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{W_{PVA}}{W_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2}} \right\rbrack^{0.5}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

where d_(o,sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer film beforestretching, d_(sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer film afterstretching, d_(o,PVA) refers to a thickness of the polyvinylalcohol-based film before stretching, d_(PVA) refers to a thickness ofthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching, W_(o,sub′) refers toa width of the polymer film before stretching, W_(sub′) refers to awidth of the polymer film after stretching, W_(o,PVA) refers to a widthof the polyvinyl alcohol-based film before stretching, and W_(PVA)refers to a width of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching.

The forming of the laminate may include attaching the non-stretchedpolymer film and the non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film to eachother by using attractive force therebetween or an adhesive.

The stretching of the laminate may be performed in such a manner thatthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film may have a thickness of 60 μm or lessbefore the stretching and a 10 μm or less after the stretching.

The stretching of the laminate may be performed within a temperaturerange of 20° C. to 80° C. at a stretching ratio of 5 times to 15 times.The stretching of the laminate may be performed in an aqueous boric acidsolution having a boric acid content of 1 wt % to 5 wt %. Alternatively,the stretching of the laminate may be performed using a dry stretchingmethod within a temperature range of 20° C. to 80° C. at a stretchingratio of 5 times to 15 times.

After the stretching of the laminate, a width of the polymer filmmeasured in a direction perpendicular to a stretching direction may bereduced by 30% to 80% as compared to that of the polymer film measuredbefore the stretching, and a thickness of the polymer film may bereduced by 30% to 80% as compared to that of the polymer film measuredbefore the stretching.

After the stretching of the laminate, adhesive force between thestretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film and the stretched polymer filmmay be about 2 N/2 cm or less, about 0.1 N/2 cm to about 2 N/2 cm, orabout 0.1 N/2 cm to about 1 N/2 cm.

Before the stretching of the laminate, the method may further includedyeing the non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film with one or moreof iodine and a dichroic dye. In detail, the method may further include:swelling the non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film; and then dyeingthe non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film with iodine and/or adichroic dye.

After the stretching of the laminate, the method may further includeseparating the stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film from the stretchedpolymer film. In this case, the separating of the stretched polyvinylalcohol-based film from the stretched polymer film may be performed byapplying a peel force within the range of about 2 N/2 cm or less, orabout 0.1 N/2 cm to about 2 N/2 cm.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a thin polarizermay be manufactured by the above-described method and may have athickness of 10 μm or less, a single transmittance of 40% to 45%, adegree of polarization of 99.0% or greater, and a standard deviation of0.002% or less calculated from degrees of polarization measured at 10points located at regular intervals in a width direction of the thinpolarizer. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, apolarizing plate may include the thin polarizer.

Advantageous Effects

According to the present disclosure, since the degree of orientation ofa polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex can be improved, a thin polarizerhaving a thickness of 10 μm or less and superior optical characteristicsmay be manufactured.

Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, a polymer film and apolyvinyl alcohol-based film may not be separated from each other duringa stretching process, and surfaces of the films may be minimally damagedduring a separating process after the stretching process. Therefore, thestability of the stretching process may be high.

Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, high-ratio stretchingis possible. In addition, a low-temperature dry stretching process and awet stretching process using an aqueous boric acid solution arepossible.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a method of measuring adhesiveforce by using a texture analyzer.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating values L calculated using Formula 1 inexamples and comparative examples.

BEST MODE

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail.The disclosure may, however, be exemplified in many different forms andshould not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments setforth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

The inventors have repeatedly conducted research into developing amethod of manufacturing a thin polarizer having a thickness of 10 μm orless while increasing the degree of orientation of a polyvinylalcohol-iodine complex and preventing problems such as breakage. As aresult, the inventors have found that the objects as described above canbe realized if particular behaviors of a polymer film and of a polyvinylalcohol-based film are similar when the polymer film and the polyvinylalcohol-based film are attached to each other and simultaneouslystretched. Based this knowledge, the inventors have invented the presentinvention.

Hereinafter, the invention invented by the inventors will be describedin more detail.

[Stretched Laminate]

First, an explanation will be given of a stretched laminate that may beused for the manufacturing of a thin polarizer according to the presentdisclosure. The stretched laminate of the present disclosure is formedby stretching a laminate including: a non-stretched polymer film; and anon-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film attached to at least onesurface of the non-stretched polymer film, wherein L, expressed byFormula 1 below, satisfies 0≦L≦0.125,

$\begin{matrix}{L = \left\lbrack {\left\{ {\left( \frac{d_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{d_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{d_{PVA}}{d_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2} + \left\{ {\left( \frac{W_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{W_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{W_{PVA}}{W_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2}} \right\rbrack^{0.5}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

where d_(o,sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer film beforestretching, d_(sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer film afterstretching, d_(o,PVA) refers to a thickness of the polyvinylalcohol-based film before stretching, d_(PVA) refers to a thickness ofthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching, W_(o,sub′) refers toa width of the polymer film before stretching, W_(sub′) refers to awidth of the polymer film after stretching, W_(o,PVA) refers to a widthof the polyvinyl alcohol-based film before stretching, and W_(PVA)refers to a width of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching.

L, expressed by Formula 1 above, is a parameter numerically showing thesimilarity between thickness variations of the polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm and the polymer film before and after stretching and the similaritybetween width variations of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film and thepolymer film before and after stretching. That is, the parameter L showsthe degree of similarity between behaviors of the polyvinylalcohol-based film and the polymer film when the films shrink inthickness and width. It may be preferable that 0≦L≦0.125, morepreferably 0≦L≦0.10 or 0≦L≦0.08. If L is within the above-mentionedrange, the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film may behavesimilarly when being stretched, and thus the degree of orientation of apolyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex may be increased. As a result, a thinpolarizer having superior optical characteristics may be manufactured.

In more detail, it is necessary to increase the degree of orientation ofa polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex for improving the degree ofpolarization of a polarizer, and this may be achieved by increasing thedegree of widthwise shrinkage of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film. Ascompared with the case in which L of the stretched laminate is outsideof the above-mentioned range, if L of the stretched laminate is withinthe above-mentioned range, the polymer film and the polyvinylalcohol-based film may behave similarly when being stretched, and thusthe degree of widthwise shrinkage of polyvinyl alcohol may increase. Asa result, the degree of orientation of a polyvinyl alcohol-iodinecomplex may increase, and the degree of polarization of a polarizer maybe improved.

In the present disclosure, when L is measured, the thicknesses of thepolymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film may be measured beforeand after stretching by a method well known in the related art, forexample, a method of using a thickness measuring tool (TESA Mu-hiteElectronic Height Gauge 100 mm).

Furthermore, in the present disclosure, when L is measured, the widthsof the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film may be measuredbefore and after stretching by a method well known in the related art,for example, a method of using a general ruler.

(Polymer Film)

In the present disclosure, the polymer film is included in the laminateto prevent breakage of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film duringstretching. The polymer film may have a maximum stretching ratio of 5 ormore times, preferably within the range of about 5 times to about 15times. The maximum stretching ratio refers to a stretching ratioimmediately before breakage. Stretching may be performed using a drystretching method or a wet stretching method. In the latter case, themaximum stretching ratio refers to a stretching ratio when stretching isperformed in an aqueous boric acid having a boric acid content of about1.0 wt to about 5.0 wt %.

Non-limiting examples of the polymer film may include a high-densitypolyethylene film, a thermoplastic polyurethane film, a polypropylenefilm, a polyolefin film, an ester-based film, a low-density polyethylenefilm, a film formed by coextruding high-density polyethylene andlow-density polyethylene, a copolymerization resin film in whichethylene vinyl acetate is included in high-density polyethylene, anacrylic film, a polyethylene terephthalate film, a polyvinylalcohol-based film, and a cellulose-based film.

Specifically, the polymer film may be a thermoplastic polyurethane film.However, the polymer film is not limited thereto. Since a thermoplasticpolyurethane film has thermal shrinkage characteristics similar to thoseof the polyvinyl alcohol-based film, when the polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm is dried after stretching, the thermoplastic polyurethane film maynot hinder widthwise shrinkage of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film butmay allow smooth widthwise shrinkage. Therefore, the degree oforientation of a polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex may be furtherimproved.

Before stretching, the thickness of the polymer film may range fromabout 20 μm to about 100 μm, preferably from about 30 μm to about 80 μm.If the thickness of the polymer film is less than 20 μm, when a stack ofthe polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film is stretched, thepolymer film may not sufficiently support the polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm to result in problems such as breakage. If the thickness of thepolymer film is greater than 100 μm, the polymer film may have a highmodulus and a low degree of stretchability and thus may hinder widthwiseshrinkage of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film during a drying process.In this case, a polarizer obtained as a final product may have pooroptical characteristics.

Although the thickness of the polymer film may be varied according tothe amount of stretching, the thickness of the polymer film maypreferably range, after stretching, from 4 μm to 70 μm, for example,from 6 μm to 70 μm, from 6 μm to 56 μm, or from 9 μm to 35 μm. In thiscase, the polymer film may prevent breakage of the polyvinylalcohol-based film when the polyvinyl alcohol-based film is stretched ata high stretching ratio.

The glass transition temperature of the polymer film may preferablyrange from about 20° C. to about 60° C., for example, from about 30° C.to about 50° C. If the polymer film functioning as a base film has aglass transition temperature lower than that of the polyvinylalcohol-based film generally ranging from 70° C. to 80° C., the polymerfilm may be relatively soft at a stretching temperature compared to thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film, and thus the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmmay easily be stretched. However, if the glass transition temperature ofthe polymer film is too low, the polymer film may be broken when beingstretched at a high stretching ratio. Therefore, it may be preferablethat the polymer film have a glass transition temperature within theabove-mentioned range. Glass transition temperatures may be measuredwith a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). For example, a glasstransition temperature may be measured with a DSC by putting about 10 mgof a sample in a dedicated pan, sealing the pan, and plotting theamounts of heat absorbed and generated during a phase transition of amaterial with respect to temperature while heating the pan at a constantheating rate.

Preferably, the modulus of the polymer film may range from 200 MPa to1500 MPa, for example, from 350 MPa to 1300 MPa at room temperature (25°C.). If the modulus of the polymer film is greater than theabove-mentioned range, high-ratio stretching may be difficult, and ifthe modulus of the polymer film is less than the above-mentioned range,the possibility of breakage is high during stretching. Herein, themodulus refers to a value measured according to JIS-K6251-1 by fixingboth ends of a sample, applying a force in a direction perpendicular toa film thickness direction, and measuring stress per unit area withrespect to strain. For example, a tester such as Z010 UTM by Zwick/Roellmay be used for the measurement.

The polymer film may have a breaking force within a range of about 5 Nto about 40 N, preferably about 10 N to about 30 N, at room temperature(25° C.). If the breaking force of the polymer film is greater than theabove-mentioned range, high-ratio stretching may be difficult, and ifthe breaking force of the polymer film is less than the above-mentionedrange, the possibility of breakage may be high during stretching.Herein, the breaking force refers to a force applied to the polymer filmor a tensile force of the polymer film at the time point when thepolymer film starts to break, and may be measured using a tester such asZ010 UTM by Zwick/Roell.

When the polymer film is stretched at room temperature (25° C.) with astretching ratio of 6 times by a dry stretching method, the tensileforce of the polymer film may range from about 5 N to about 200 N,preferably from about 10 N to about 100 N. In addition, when the polymerfilm is stretched at 52° C. with a stretching ratio of 6 times by a wetstretching method, the tensile force of the polymer film may range fromabout 1 N to about 100 N, preferably from about 2 N to about 80 N. Ifthe tensile force of the polymer film is greater than theabove-mentioned range, high-ratio stretching may be difficult, and ifthe tensile force of the polymer film is less than the above-mentionedrange, the possibility of breakage may be high during stretching. Thetensile force refers to a pulling force and may be, for example,measured by a tester such as Z010 UTM by Zwick/Roell.

(Polyvinyl Alcohol-based Film)

The polyvinyl alcohol-based film attached to at least one surface of thepolymer film may be used as a thin polyvinyl alcohol-based polarizerafter being subjected to processes such as a stretching process and adyeing process. Any film including a polyvinyl alcohol resin or aderivative thereof may be used as the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmwithout limitations. Non-limiting examples of the derivative of apolyvinyl alcohol resin may include a polyvinyl formal resin and apolyvinyl acetal resin. In addition, any commercially availablepolyvinyl alcohol-based film used in the related art as a film for themanufacturing of a polarizer, such as M2000, M2001, M2005, M3000, andM6000 by Japan Synthetic Rubber, and P30, PE20, PE30, and PE60 byKurary, may be used as the polyvinyl alcohol-based film.

Before stretching, the thickness of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film mayrange from about 60 μm or less, for example, from about 5 μm to about 60μm, preferably from about 10 μm to about 40 μm. If the polyvinylalcohol-based film is too thin, when the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmforms a layer of a laminate and undergoes a stretching process, thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film may easily be broken. On the other hand, ifthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film is too thick, the thickness of a finalpolarizer may be increased, and thus it may be difficult to manufacturea thin polarizer having a thickness of 10 μm or less.

After stretching, the polyvinyl alcohol-based film may have a thinthickness of about 10 μm or less, for example, about 1 μm to about 10μm, preferably about 3 μm to about 8 μm. The polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm may be attached to one surface of the polymer film or both surfacesof the polymer film, and may then be stretched to a thickness of 10 μmor less.

The polyvinyl alcohol-based film may have a degree of polymerizationwithin the range of about 1,000 to about 10,000, preferably about 1,500to about 5,000. However, the polyvinyl alcohol-based film is not limitedthereto. If the degree of polymerization of the polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm is within the above-mentioned range, molecules of the polyvinylalcohol-based film may freely move and may be smoothly mixed with iodineor a dichroic dye.

In addition, the polyvinyl alcohol-based film may be a film dyed withiodine or a dichroic dye. For example, the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmmay be a film treated by a swelling process and a dyeing process.

[Method of Manufacturing Thin Polarizer]

Next, an explanation will be given of a method of manufacturing a thinpolarizer using the above-described stretched laminate. The method ofmanufacturing a thin polarizer of the present disclosure includesforming a laminate by attaching a non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm to at least one surface of a non-stretched polymer film; andstretching the laminate such that L, expressed by Formula 1 below,satisfies 0≦L≦0.125,

$\begin{matrix}{L = \left\lbrack {\left\{ {\left( \frac{d_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{d_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{d_{PVA}}{d_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2} + \left\{ {\left( \frac{W_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{W_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{W_{PVA}}{W_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2}} \right\rbrack^{0.5}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

where d_(o,sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer film beforestretching, d_(sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer film afterstretching, d_(o,PVA) refers to a thickness of the polyvinylalcohol-based film before stretching, d_(PVA) refers to a thickness ofthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching, W_(o,sub′) refers toa width of the polymer film before stretching, W_(sub′) refers to awidth of the polymer film after stretching, W_(o,PVA) refers to a widthof the polyvinyl alcohol-based film before stretching, and W_(PVA)refers to a width of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching.

(Formation of Laminate)

In the present disclosure, a method of attaching the polyvinylalcohol-based film to the polymer film is not limited. For example, thelaminate may be formed as follows: a formation material for forming thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film is applied to the polymer film by a coatingmethod generally known in the related art such as a bar coating method,a reverse coating method, a gravure coating method, a spin coatingmethod, a screen coating method, a fountain coating method, a spraycoating method, or a comma coating method; and the formation material isdried. In another example, the laminate may be formed as follows: aformation material for forming the polymer film and a formation materialfor forming the polyvinyl alcohol-based film are supplied to aco-extruder generally used in the related art; and the thickness of thepolymer film and the thickness of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film areproperly controlled during co-extrusion.

Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the laminate may be formed byattaching the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film to eachother by using an adhesive. In this case, ingredients of the adhesiveare not limited. For example, any one of adhesives known in the relatedart may be used. For example, the adhesive may be an aqueous adhesive oran ultraviolet (UV)-curable adhesive.

In more detail, the adhesive may be an aqueous adhesive including atleast one selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol-basedresins, acrylic resins, and vinyl acetate-based resins.

Alternatively, the adhesive may be an aqueous adhesive including apolyvinyl alcohol-based resin having an acryl group and a hydroxy group.The polyvinyl alcohol-based resin having an acryl group and a hydroxygroup may have a degree of polymerization within the range of about 500to about 1,800.

Alternatively, the adhesive may be an aqueous adhesive that includes apolyvinyl alcohol-based resin having an acetoacetyl group, and anamine-based metal compound cross-linking agent. In the case of anadhesive formed by adding an amine-based metal compound cross-linkingagent to a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin having an acetoacetyl group,when the adhesive is hardened, a cross-linking reaction occurs betweenthe amine-based metal compound cross-linking agent and the acetoacetylgroup of the polyvinyl alcohol-based resin, and thus the waterresistance of the adhesive is markedly improved after hardening. As aresult, in a wet stretching process, the amount of the adhesivedissolving in water may be minimized, and thus the adhesive may beusefully used in the wet stretching process.

In more detail, the adhesive of the present disclosure may be an aqueoussolution including a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin having an acetoacetylgroup and an amine-based metal compound cross-linking agent, and theaqueous solution may have a pH of about 4.5 to about 9. If the pH of theadhesive is within the above-mentioned range, the adhesive may haveimproved storability, and durability in high-humidity environments. ThepH of the adhesive may be adjusted by adding an acid such as nitricacid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, or acetic acid to an aqueoussolution.

In the present disclosure, the adhesive may include 100 parts by weightof the polyvinyl alcohol-based resin having an acetoacetyl group, and 1part by weight to 50 parts by weight of the amine-based metal compoundcross-linking agent.

The degree of polymerization and degree of saponification of thepolyvinyl alcohol-based resin are not limited as long as the polyvinylalcohol-based resin has an acetoacetyl group. However, it may bepreferable that the polyvinyl alcohol-based resin has a degree ofpolymerization within the range of 200 to 4,000 and a degree ofsaponification within the range of 70 mol % to 99.9 mol %. In terms offree molecular movement and smooth mixing of ingredients, it may bepreferable that the polyvinyl alcohol-based resin have a degree ofpolymerization within the range of 1,500 to 2,500 and a degree ofsaponification within the range of 90 mol % to 99.9 mol %. In this case,it may be preferable that the polyvinyl alcohol-based resin have anacetoacetyl group content within the range of 0.1 mol % to 30 mol %. Ifthe acetoacetyl group content is within the above-mentioned range, thepolyvinyl alcohol-based resin may smoothly react with the amine-basedmetal compound cross-linking agent, and the water resistance of theadhesive may be sufficiently high.

The amine-based metal compound cross-linking agent may be awater-soluble cross-linking agent having a functional group reactivewith the polyvinyl alcohol-based resin. In this regard, the amine-basedmetal compound cross-linking agent may be a metal complex having anamine-based ligand. A metal included as a central metal in the metalcomplex may be a transition metal such as zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti),hafnium (Hf), tungsten (W), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni),ruthenium (Ru), osmium (Os), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), palladium (Pd),or platinum (Pt). Any one having at least one amine group, such asprimary amine, secondary amine (diamine), tertiary amine, or ammoniumhydroxide, may be bonded as a ligand to the central metal. The contentof the amine-based metal compound cross-linking agent may range from 1part by weight to 50 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of thepolyvinyl alcohol-based resin. In this case, the adhesive may havesufficient adhesiveness, and the storability (pot life) of the adhesivemay be improved.

In the adhesive of the present disclosure, it may be preferable that thepolyvinyl alcohol-based resin having an acetoacetyl group have a solidcontent within the range of about 1 wt % to about 10 wt %. If the solidcontent of the polyvinyl alcohol-based resin is less than 1 wt %,sufficient water resistance may not be obtained, and the possibility ofbreakage in a stretching process may not be effectively reduced. On theother hand, if the solid content of the polyvinyl alcohol-based resin isgreater than 10 wt %, workability may be lowered, and the surface of thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film may be damaged when the polyvinylalcohol-based film is peeled.

Alternatively, the adhesive may be a UV-curable adhesive. For example,the adhesive may be a UV-curable adhesive including a first epoxycompound of which a homopolymer has a glass transition temperature of120° C. or higher, a second epoxy compound of which a homopolymer has aglass transition temperature of 60° C. or lower, and a cationicphotopolymerization initiator. In detail, the UV-curable adhesive mayinclude 100 parts by weight of a first epoxy compound of which ahomopolymer has a glass transition temperature of 120° C. or higher, 30parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of a second epoxy compound ofwhich a homopolymer has a glass transition temperature of 60° C. orlower, and 0.5 parts by weight to 20 parts by weight of a cationicphotopolymerization initiator.

Herein, epoxy compounds refers to compounds having at least one epoxygroup in molecules, for example, at least two epoxy groups in molecules,and the epoxy compounds may be monomers, polymers, resins, orcombinations thereof. In the present disclosure, for example, the epoxycompounds may be resins.

The first epoxy compound may be used without particular limitations ifthe first epoxy compound is an epoxy compound of which a homopolymer hasa glass transition temperature of 120° C. or higher. For example, analicyclic epoxy compound and/or an aromatic epoxy compound of which ahomopolymer has a glass transition temperature of 120° C. or higher maybe used as the first epoxy compound according to the present disclosure.Specific examples of the epoxy compound of which a homopolymer has aglass transition temperature of 120° C. or higher may include3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl-3,4′-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate, vinylcyclohexene dioxide, dicyclopentadiene dioxide, bis(epoxycyclopentyl)ether, bisphenol A-based epoxy compounds, and bisphenol F-based epoxycompounds. It may be more preferable that that the homopolymer of thefirst epoxy compound have a glass transition temperature of about 120°C. to about 200° C.

Next, the second epoxy compound may be used without particularlimitations if the second epoxy compound is an epoxy compound of which ahomopolymer has a glass transition temperature of 60° C. or lower.Examples of the second epoxy compound may include alicyclic epoxycompounds and aliphatic epoxy compounds. The alicyclic epoxy compoundsmay be bifunctional epoxy compounds, i.e., compounds having two epoxygroups. For example, the alicyclic epoxy compounds may be compounds inwhich two epoxy groups are all alicyclic epoxy groups. However, thealicyclic epoxy compounds are not limited thereto. The aliphatic epoxycompounds may be epoxy compounds that do not have alicyclic epoxy groupsbut have aliphatic epoxy groups. Examples of the aliphatic epoxycompounds may include: a polyglycidyl ether of an aliphatic polyalcohol;a polyglycidyl ether of an aliphatic polyalcohol-alkylene oxide adduct;a polyglycidyl ether of a polyester polyol of aliphatic polyalcohol andaliphatic polycarboxylic acid; a polyglycidyl ether of an aliphaticpolycarboxylic acid; a polyglycidyl ether of a polyester polycarboxylicacid of aliphatic polyalcohol and aliphatic polycarboxylic acid;dimmers, oligomers or polymers obtained by vinyl polymerization ofglycidyl acrylate or glycidyl methacrylate; and oligomers or polymersobtained by vinyl polymerization of glycidyl acrylate or glycidylmethacrylate and other vinyl-based monomers. For example, the aliphaticepoxy compounds may be polyglycidyl ethers of aliphatic polyalcohols oraliphatic polyalcohol-alkylene oxide adducts. However, the aliphaticepoxy compounds are not limited thereto.

The second epoxy compound of the present disclosure may include one ormore of glycidyl ether groups. For example, the second epoxy compound ofthe present disclosure may include at least one selected from the groupconsisting of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanoldiglycidyl ether,1,4-butanedioldiglycidyl ether, 1,6-hexanedioldiglycidyl ether,neopentyldiglycidyl ether, resorcinol diglycidyl ether, diethyleneglycol diglycidyl ether, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether,trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether, n-butyl glycidyl ether,2-ethylhexyl glycidyl ether, phenyl glycidyl ether, and o-cresylglycidyl ether.

It may be more preferable that that the homopolymer of the second epoxycompound have a glass transition temperature of about 0° C. to about 60°C.

In a non-limiting example of the present disclosure, the epoxy compoundsmay include a combination of a first epoxy compound having at least oneepoxidized alicyclic group and a second epoxy compound having at leastone glycidyl ether groups. Preferably, the weight ratio of the firstepoxy compound and the second epoxy compound may be about 1:1 to about3:1, more preferably 1:1 to 2:1, most preferably 1:1.

When the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film are attachedto each other by using the above-described adhesive and are not yetstretched, the thickness of an adhesive layer may range from about 20 nmto about 4,000 nm, preferably from about 20 nm to about 1,000 nm, morepreferably from about 20 nm to about 500 nm. After the laminate isstretched, the thickness of the adhesive layer may range from about 10nm to about 1,000 nm, preferably from about 10 nm to about 500 nm, morepreferably from about 10 nm to about 200 nm. If the thickness of theadhesive layer is within the above-mentioned ranges before and afterstretching, the polyvinyl alcohol-based film may be peeled withoutdamage after stretching and drying processes.

In the present disclosure, alternatively, the laminate may be formed byattaching the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film to eachother by attractive force between the polymer film and the polyvinylalcohol-based film without using any intermediate material. As describedabove, if the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film areattached to each other by attractive force therebetween without usingany intermediate material, the polymer film and the polyvinylalcohol-based film may easily be separated after being stretched. Thatis, owing to a low peel force, the polyvinyl alcohol-based film may notbe damaged during separation, and thus optical characteristics such asthe degree of polarization of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film may notdeteriorate.

In addition, if the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmare attached to each other by attractive force therebetween withoutusing any intermediate material, a thin polarizer having uniformproperties may be manufactured, and a stretching process may be stablyperformed without errors such as breakage of films.

In the case in which the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm are attached to each other by attractive force therebetween asdescribed above, one or both sides of the polymer film or the polyvinylalcohol-based film may be surface-treated before an attachment processso as to improve attractive force between the polymer film and thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film. In this case, the surface treatment may beperformed using a method well known in the related art such as a coronatreatment method, a plasma treatment method, or a surface modificationtreatment method using an aqueous solution of a strong base such as NaOHor KOH.

(Stretching of Laminate)

After forming the laminate by attaching the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmto the polymer film, the laminate is stretched until the laminate has aparameter L within the range of 0≦L≦0.125. It may be preferable that theparameter L of the laminate satisfy 0≦L≦0.125, more preferably 0≦L≦0.10or 0≦L≦0.08. If the parameter L of the laminate is within theabove-mentioned range, the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm may behave similarly when being stretched, and thus the degree oforientation of a polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex may be increased. As aresult, a thin polarizer having superior optical characteristics may bemanufactured.

Preferably, the laminate may be stretched such that the polyvinylalcohol-based film may have a thickness of 60 μm or less beforestretching and 10 μm or less after stretching, more preferably about 1μm to about 10 μm or about 3 μm to about 8 μm after stretching.

A method for stretching the laminate is not limited. For example, thelaminate may be uniaxially stretched in a longitudinal direction(machine direction MD) or a transverse direction TD. In addition, thelaminate may be stretched in the transverse direction TD whilesimultaneously inducing shrinkage of the laminate in the machinedirection MD. Examples of a method of stretching the laminate in thetransverse direction TD may include a fixed end uniaxial stretchingmethod in which an end of the laminate is fixed to a tenter. Examples ofa method of stretching the laminate in the machine direction MD mayinclude an inter-roll stretching method, an extrusion-stretching method,and a free-end uniaxial stretching method. In addition, the laminate maybe stretched in multiple steps or may be stretched by a biaxial methodor an inclined stretching method.

The stretching process may be performed using a wet stretching method.In this case, the adhesive force between surfaces of the base film(polymer film) and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film is relatively greatas compared to the case of using a dry stretching method, and thus thestretching process may be stably performed. The wet stretching methodmay be performed using an aqueous boric acid solution, and in this caseit may be preferable that the aqueous boric acid solution have a boricacid content within the range of about 1.0 wt % to about 5.0 wt %. Ifthe stretching process is performed using an aqueous boric acid solutionas described above, the possibility of breakage of the polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)-based film may be reduced owing to the cross-linking of a boricacid, and the stretching process may be stably performed. In addition,curling of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film that easily occurs in a wetprocess may be suppressed.

In general, polarizing devices are manufactured through processes suchas water-washing, swelling, dyeing, washing, stretching, complementarycoloring, and drying. In the present disclosure, the washing process andthe stretching process may be performed using an aqueous boric acidsolution. The washing process may preferably be performed using anaqueous boric acid solution having a boric acid content of about 0.1 wt% to about 2.5 wt %, more preferably about 0.5 wt % to about 2.0 wt %.The stretching process may preferably be performed using an aqueousboric acid solution having a boric acid content of about 1.0 wt % toabout 5.0 wt %, more preferably about 1.5 wt % to about 4.5 wt %.

The stretching process may be performed using a wet stretching method ata temperature of 20° C. to 80° C. with a stretching ratio of 5 times to15 times, preferably at a temperature of 40° C. to 60° C. or 45° C. to55° C. with a stretching ratio of 5 times to 12 times or 6 times to 9times.

The stretching process may be performed together with one or more of adyeing process in which the polyvinyl alcohol-based film is dyed withiodine and/or a dichroic dye and a cross-linking process in which thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film is cross-linked with the iodine and/or thedichroic dye after the dyeing process.

Alternatively, the stretching process may be performed using a drystretching method. In the present disclosure, the stretching process maybe performed using a dry stretching method with a high stretching ratioof about 5 times to about 15 times, preferably 5 times to 12 times or 6times to 9 times even at a low temperature ranging from 20° C. to 90°C., preferably from 50° C. to 80° C. In general, a polyvinylalcohol-based film formed on a base film has a glass transitiontemperature within the range of 70° C. to 80° C., and thus if thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film is stretched at a high temperature,problems such as damage or variations in physical properties may likelyoccur. In the present disclosure, however, since it is possible toperform the stretching process at a low temperature by a dry stretchingmethod, such problems may not occur.

In the stretching process of the method of manufacturing a thinpolarizer of the present disclosure, the laminate may be stretched insuch a manner that the width of the polymer film in a directionperpendicular to a stretching direction may be reduced by preferablyabout 30% to about 80% or about 30% to about 70%, and the thickness ofthe polymer film may be reduced by preferably about 30% to about 80% orabout 30% to about 70%. In this case, during the stretching process anda later drying process, the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm may behave similarly while being stretched and reduced in width,and thus the degree of orientation of a polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complexmay be increased.

After the laminate is stretched in the stretching process of the methodof manufacturing a polarizer, the adhesive force between the polyvinylalcohol-based film and the polymer film may be 2 N/2 cm or less,preferably about 0.1 N/2 cm to about 2 N/2 cm, more preferably about 0.1N/2 cm to about 1 N/2 cm. If the adhesive force is within theabove-mentioned range, surface damage may be minimized in a laterseparating process after the stretching process. In the method ofmanufacturing a thin polarizer of the present disclosure, if an adhesivelayer is formed between the polyvinyl alcohol-based film and the polymerfilm, the adhesive layer may also be stretched in the stretchingprocess, and thus the thickness of the adhesive layer may be reduced toabout 10% to about 50% of the original thickness. As a result, theadhesive force between the polyvinyl alcohol-based film and the polymerfilm may be reduced to 2 N/2 Cm or less, and thus the polyvinylalcohol-based film and the polymer film may easily be separated fromeach other.

Herein, the adhesive force refers to a value measured from 2-cm widesample films. In detail, as shown in FIG. 1, after a polyvinylalcohol-based film A of a laminate was fixed to a holder H, adhesiveforce was measured while peeling the polyvinyl alcohol-based film A offa polymer film B by applying a force in a direction perpendicular to thesurface of the laminate. At this time, a texture analyzer (Model Name:TA-XT Plus) by Stable Micro Systems was used as a measuring tool.

(Other Processes)

The method of manufacturing a thin polarizer of the present disclosuremay further include a process of dyeing the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmwith iodine and/or a dichroic dye before the stretching process. Forexample, before the stretching process, the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmmay be subjected to a swelling process and then a dyeing process inwhich the polyvinyl alcohol-based film is dyed with iodine and/or adichroic dye.

In this case, the swelling process may be performed to facilitateadsorption and diffusion of the iodine and/or the dichroic dye in thenon-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film and improve thestretchability of the non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film. Forexample, in the swelling process, the non-stretched polyvinylalcohol-based film or the non-stretched laminate may be immersed in purewater having a temperature of 25° C. to 30° C. for 5 second to 30seconds, preferably 10 seconds to 20 seconds. However, the swellingprocess is not limited thereto. The swelling process may be performeduntil the non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film has a degree ofswelling within the range of about 36% to about 44%, preferably about38% to about 42%. If the non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film hasa degree of swelling within the above-mentioned range, opticalcharacteristics of a finally manufactured thin polarizer such as adegree of polarization may be superior. The degree of swelling iscalculated by the formula: {(weight of polyvinyl alcohol-based filmafter swelling−weight of polyvinyl alcohol-based film beforeswelling)/weight of polyvinyl alcohol-based film before swelling}×100.

The drying process may be performed by putting the non-stretchedpolyvinyl alcohol-based film or the non-stretched laminate including thenon-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film into a dyeing bath in which adyeing solution having iodine and/or a dichroic dye is contained, orapplying a dyeing solution having iodine and/or a dichroic dye to thenon-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film. In this case, water maygenerally be used as a solvent of the dyeing solution. However, anyother solvent compatible with water may also be included in the dyeingsolution. The content of the iodine and/or the dichroic dye in thedyeing solution may be within the range of about 0.06 parts by weight toabout 0.25 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of a solvent. Inaddition to the iodine and/or the dichroic dye, an adjuvant may beadditionally included in the dyeing solution to improve dyeingefficiency. The adjuvant may be an iodide such as potassium iodide,lithium iodide, sodium iodide, zinc iodide, aluminum iodide, leadiodide, copper iodide, barium iodide, calcium iodide, tin iodide,titanium iodide, or a mixture thereof. The content of the adjuvant inthe dyeing solution may be within the range of about 0.3 parts by weightto about 2.5 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of a solvent.Preferably, the weight ratio of iodine to an iodide may range from about1:5 to about 1:10. In addition, the drying process may be performed at atemperature of about 25° C. to about 40° C. for a dyeing bath immersiontime period of about 30 seconds to about 120 seconds. However, thedrying process is not limited thereto.

In the method of manufacturing a thin polarizer, if necessary, thelaminate may be subjected to a drying process after the stretchingprocess. In this case, in terms of optical characteristics of a thinpolarizer to be formed, the drying process may be performed at atemperature of about 20° C. to about 100° C., preferably 40° C. to 90°C. for a drying time period of about 1 minute to about minutes. However,the drying process is not limited thereto. The drying process isperformed to remove moisture from the surface and inside of polyvinylalcohol and to thus prevent deterioration of physical characteristics ofa polyvinyl alcohol-based polarizer caused by moisture in a polarizingplate manufacturing process. In addition, the drying process inducessmooth widthwise shrinkage of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film after theswelling process, thereby increasing the degree of orientation of apolyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex and the degree of polarization of apolarizer.

In the method of manufacturing a thin polarizer, if necessary, aseparating process may be performed to separate the polyvinylalcohol-based film from the polymer film after the swelling process. Theseparating process may be performed to separate the polyvinylalcohol-based film from the polymer film by applying a small peel forceto the polyvinyl alcohol-based film. The peel force may preferably beabout 2 N/2 cm or less, for example, about 0.1 N/2 cm to about 2 N/2 cmor about 0.1 N/2 cm to about 1 N/2 cm. In the present disclosure, sincethe peel force is low, the two films may be easily separated withouthaving to use an additional process or machine, and the polyvinylalcohol-based film may be less damaged in the separating process.Therefore, optical characteristics of the polyvinyl alcohol-based filmmay be superior.

In the method of manufacturing a thin polarizer of the presentdisclosure, a process well known in the related art such as asheet-to-sheet process, a sheet-to-roll process, or a roll-to-rollprocess may be performed. The sheet-to-sheet process may be performedusing sheets of film cut into predetermined sizes as a raw material. Thesheet-to-roll process may be performed using a long film wound in a rollas a raw material and sheets of film cut into predetermined sizes asanother raw material. The roll-to-roll process may be performed using aroll of film as a raw material. In terms of process continuity andproductivity, the roll-to-roll process may be used.

For example, the method of manufacturing a polarizer of the presentdisclosure may include: a process of forming a laminate by attaching anon-stretched polymer film and a non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm to each other while unwinding a roll of the non-stretched polymerfilm and a roll of the non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film; aprocess of stretching the laminate until the polymer film and thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film satisfy the Formula 1; and a process ofseparating the polyvinyl alcohol-based film from the polymer film.

In this case, after the non-stretched polymer film and the non-stretchedpolyvinyl alcohol-based film are attached to each other, the films maybe re-wound as a laminate roll and may then be stretched while unwindingthe laminate roll, or the films may be directly stretched withoutre-winding.

In the separating process, the polymer film and the polyvinylalcohol-based film may be separated from each other while inserting apeeling tool such as a peeling roll between surfaces of the films, andthen the separated films may be respectively wound around rolls.

[Thin Polarizer and Polarizing Plate]

A thin polarizer manufactured by the above-described method has a thinthickness of about 10 μm or less, preferably about 1 μm to about 10 μm,more preferably about 3 μm to about 8 μm. Although the thin polarizerhas a thin thickness, the thin polarizer has a single transmittancewithin the range of about 40% to about 45%, and a degree of polarizationwithin the range of 99.0% or greater, preferably 99.5% or greater, morepreferably 99.7% or greater, much more preferably 99.9% or greater.

The polarizer of the present disclosure manufactured by theabove-described method has a high degree of uniformity in widthwisepolarization. Specifically, the standard deviation of degrees ofpolarization measured at 10 points located at regular intervals in awidth direction of the polarizer is 0.002% or less.

In the present disclosure, a polarizing plate may be formed by attachinga protective film to one or both surfaces of the polarizer. In thiscase, the structure of the polarizing plate is not limited as long asthe polarizing plate includes the polarizer of the present disclosure.For example, the polarizing plate may have a structure ofpolarizer/protective film, protective film/polarizer, or protectivefilm/polarizer/protective film.

The protective film supports and protects the polarizer and may beformed of a material generally known in the related art. Non-limitingexamples of the protective film may include cellulose based films,polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films, cycloolefin polymer films, andacrylic films. An acrylic film may be used as the protective film interms of optical characteristics, durability, and economic factors.

The polarizing plate may be manufactured through a process well known inthe related art such as a sheet-to-sheet process, a sheet-to-rollprocess, or a roll-to-roll process. For example, the roll-to-rollprocess may be used. A method of manufacturing a polarizing plate byattaching a polarizer and a protective film through a roll-to-rollprocess is well-known in the related art, and thus a detaileddescription thereof will not be given. If the polarizing plate ismanufactured through a roll-to-roll process, a large roll of thepolarizing plate may be obtained.

The polarizing plate may include a retardation film to compensate for anoptical phase difference. In the present disclosure, the retardationfilm is not limited to a particular type. For example, any one ofretardation films generally used in the related art may be usedaccording to various liquid crystal modes.

In addition to the retardation film, the polarizing plate may furtherinclude any other functional optical layer such as a brightnessimproving film, a primer layer, a hard coating layer, an anti-glarelayer, an anti-reflection layer, or a bonding layer for attachment to aliquid crystal panel. A method of forming such an optical layer is notlimited. For example, a method well known in the related art may beused.

The polarizing plate of the present disclosure may be used in variousdisplay devices. For example, the polarizing plate may be applied tovarious display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) andorganic light emitting diode (OLED) displays.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedmore specifically through examples.

EXAMPLE 1

A laminate was formed by attaching 30 μm PVA films, PE30 grade byKuraray, to both sides of a 60 μm thick thermoplastic polyurethane film.The thermoplastic polyurethane film was formed by reacting methylenediphenyl diisocyanate, 1,4-butanediol, neopentyl glycol, and adipicacid. The thermoplastic polyurethane film had a tensile modulus of 1,000MPa and a breaking force of 30N at 25° C., and a glass transitiontemperature of 40° C. A swelling process was performed on the laminatein 25° C. pure water for 15 seconds, and a dyeing process was performedon the laminate in a 0.3 wt %, 25° C. iodine solution for 60 seconds.Thereafter, a washing process was performed on the laminate in a 25° C.,1 wt % boric acid solution for 15 seconds, and a stretching process wasperformed on the laminate in a 52° C., 2.5 wt % boric acid solution tostretch the laminate with a stretching ratio of 7 times. After thestretching process, a complementary coloring process was performed onthe stretched laminate in a 5 wt % potassium iodide (KI) solution, and adrying process was performed in an oven at 80° C. for 5 minutes. Afterthe drying process, the PVA films were peeled off the thermoplasticpolyurethane film by applying a peel force of 0.2 N/2 cm. In thismanner, a thin polarizer having a thickness of 7.5 μm was manufactured.

EXAMPLE 2

A laminate was formed by attaching 30 μm PVA films, PE30 grade byKuraray, to both sides of a 30 μm thick thermoplastic polyurethane film.The thermoplastic polyurethane film was formed by reacting methylenediphenyl diisocyanate, 1,4-butanediol, neopentyl glycol, and adipicacid. The thermoplastic polyurethane film had a tensile modulus of 900MPa and a breaking force of 24 N at 25° C., and a glass transitiontemperature of 40° C. A swelling process was performed on the laminatein 25° C. pure water for 15 seconds, and a dyeing process was performedon the laminate in a 25° C., 0.3 wt % iodine solution for 60 seconds.Thereafter, a washing process was performed on the laminate in a 25° C.,1 wt % boric acid solution for 15 seconds, and a stretching process wasperformed on the laminate in a 52° C., 2.5 wt % boric acid solution tostretch the laminate with a stretching ratio of 7 times. After thestretching process, a complementary coloring process was performed onthe stretched laminate in a 5 wt % potassium iodide (KI) solution, and adrying process was performed in an oven at 80° C. for 5 minutes. Afterthe drying process, the PVA films were peeled off the thermoplasticpolyurethane film by applying a peel force of 0.5 N/2 cm. In thismanner, a thin polarizer having a thickness of 6.7 μm was manufactured.

EXAMPLE 3

A laminate was formed by attaching 20 μm PVA films, M2000 grade by JapanSynthetic Rubber, to both sides of a 40 μm thick thermoplasticpolyurethane film. The thermoplastic polyurethane film was formed byreacting methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, 1,4-butanediol, neopentylglycol, and adipic acid. The thermoplastic polyurethane film had atensile modulus of 900 MPa and a breaking force of 28 N at 25° C., and aglass transition temperature of 37° C. A swelling process was performedon the laminate in 25° C. pure water for 15 seconds, and a dyeingprocess was performed on the laminate in a 0.3 wt %, 25° C. iodinesolution for 60 seconds. Thereafter, a washing process was performed onthe laminate in a 25° C., 1 wt % boric acid solution for 15 seconds, anda stretching process was performed on the laminate in a 52° C., 2.5 wt %boric acid solution to stretch the laminate with a stretching ratio oftimes. After the stretching process, a complementary coloring processwas performed on the stretched laminate in a 5 wt % potassium iodide(KI) solution, and a drying process was performed in an oven at 80° C.for 5 minutes. After the drying process, the PVA films were peeled offthe thermoplastic polyurethane film by applying a peel force of 0.7 N/2cm. In this manner, a thin polarizer having a thickness of 7.6 μm wasmanufactured.

EXAMPLE 4

A laminate was formed by attaching 20 μm PVA films, M2000 grade by JapanSynthetic Rubber, to both sides of a 45 μm thick thermoplasticpolyurethane film. The thermoplastic polyurethane film was formed byreacting methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, 1,4-butanediol, neopentylglycol, and adipic acid. The thermoplastic polyurethane film had atensile modulus of 1,015 MPa and a breaking force of 22 N at 25° C., anda glass transition temperature of 35° C. A swelling process wasperformed on the laminate in 25° C. pure water for 15 seconds, and adyeing process was performed on the laminate in a 0.3 wt %, 25° C.iodine solution for 60 seconds. Thereafter, a washing process wasperformed on the laminate in a 25° C., 1 wt % boric acid solution for 15seconds, and a stretching process was performed on the laminate in a 52°C., 2.5 wt % boric acid solution to stretch the laminate with astretching ratio of 7 times. After the stretching process, acomplementary coloring process was performed on the stretched laminatein a 5 wt % potassium iodide (KI) solution, and a drying process wasperformed in an oven at 80° C. for 5 minutes. After the drying process,the PVA films were peeled off the thermoplastic polyurethane film byapplying a peel force of 1.2 N/2 cm. In this manner, a thin polarizerhaving a thickness of 7.8 μm was manufactured.

EXAMPLE 5

A 4 wt % aqueous solution was prepared by dissolving polyvinyl alcoholhaving an acetoacetyl group content of 5 wt % (average degree ofpolymerization: 2000, degree of saponification: 94%, by Japan syntheticRubber) in pure water. A titanium amine complex cross-linking agent(Product Name: TYZOR TE, Dupont) was added to the solution in an amountof 6.7 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the polyvinylalcohol, and the solution was agitated to form an adhesive. A laminatewas formed by applying the adhesive to both sides of a 40 μm thickthermoplastic polyurethane film, attaching 20 μm PVA films, M2000 gradeby Japan Synthetic Rubber, to both the sides of the 40 μm thickthermoplastic polyurethane film, and passing the films through alaminator. The thermoplastic polyurethane film was formed by reactingmethylene diphenyl diisocyanate, 1,4-butanediol, neopentyl glycol, andadipic acid. The thermoplastic polyurethane film had a tensile modulusof 950 MPa and a breaking force of 18 N at 25° C., and a glasstransition temperature of 39° C. A swelling process was performed on thelaminate in 25° C. pure water for 15 seconds, and a dyeing process wasperformed on the laminate in a 0.3 wt %, 25° C. iodine solution for 60seconds. Thereafter, a washing process was performed on the laminate ina 25° C., 1 wt % boric acid solution for 15 seconds, and a stretchingprocess was performed on the laminate in a 52° C., 2.5 wt % boric acidsolution to stretch the laminate with a stretching ratio of 7 times.After the stretching process, a complementary coloring process wasperformed on the stretched laminate in a 5 wt % potassium iodide (KI)solution, and a drying process was performed in an oven at 80° C. for 5minutes. After the drying process, the PVA films were peeled off thethermoplastic polyurethane film by applying a peel force of 0.7 N/2 cm.In this manner, a thin polarizer having a thickness of 7.5 μm wasmanufactured.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

A laminate was formed by attaching PVA films (PE30 grade 30 μm PVA filmsby Kuraray) to both sides of a 75 μm thick low-density polyethylene film(RF7500AS grade by R&F). A swelling process was performed on thelaminate in 25° C. pure water for 15 seconds, and a dyeing process wasperformed on the laminate in a 0.3 wt %, 25° C. iodine solution for 60seconds. Thereafter, a washing process was performed on the laminate ina 1 wt % boric acid solution for 15 seconds, and a stretching processwas performed on the laminate in a 2.5 wt % boric acid solution tostretch the laminate with a stretching ratio of 7 times. After thestretching process, a complementary coloring process was performed onthe stretched laminate in a 5 wt % potassium iodide (KI) solution, and adrying process was performed in an oven at 80° C. for 5 minutes. Afterthe drying process, the PVA films were peeled off the low-densitypolyethylene film by applying a peel force of 9.1 N/2 cm. In thismanner, a thin polarizer having a thickness of 5.8 μm was manufactured.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

A PVA film (M-grade PVA powder by Japan Synthetic Rubber, average degreeof polymerization: 2400, average degree of saponification: 99 mol %) wasdissolved in 100° C. pure water to prepare an aqueous PVA solution.Then, a 200 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film (NOVA-Clear SG007grade by MGC) was treated with corona and coated with the aqueous PVAsolution by using a lip coater. Thereafter, the polyethyleneterephthalate film was dried in an oven at 80° C. for 10 minutes. Inthis manner, a laminate was formed. The laminate had a 10 μm thick PVAcoating layer. A swelling process was performed on the laminate in 25°C. pure water for 15 seconds, and a dyeing process was performed on thelaminate in a 25° C. iodine solution having a boric acid content of 1.0wt % and an iodine content of 0.3 wt % for 60 seconds. Thereafter, awashing process was performed on the laminate in a 25° C., 1 wt % boricacid solution for 15 seconds, and a stretching process was performed onthe laminate in 70° C., 4.5 wt % boric acid solution to stretch thelaminate with a stretching ratio of 5.5 times. After the stretchingprocess, a complementary coloring process was performed on the laminatein a 5 wt % potassium iodide solution, and a drying process wasperformed in an oven at 80° C. for 5 minutes. After the drying process,a PVA film was peeled off the polyethylene terephthalate film byapplying a peel force of 2.8 N/2 cm. In this manner, a thin polarizerhaving a thickness of 4.3 μm was manufactured.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3

A laminate was formed by attaching 20 μm PVA films, M2000 grade by JapanSynthetic Rubber, to both sides of a 45 μm thick thermoplasticpolyurethane film. The thermoplastic polyurethane film was formed byreacting methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, 1,4-butanediol, neopentylglycol, and adipic acid. The neopentyl glycol content of thethermoplastic polyurethane film was decreased by 20% as compared to theneopentyl glycol content of the previous thermoplastic polyurethanefilms. The thermoplastic polyurethane film had a tensile modulus of1,600 MPa and a breaking force of 52 N at 25° C., and a glass transitiontemperature of 38° C. A swelling process was performed on the laminatein 25° C. pure water for 15 seconds, and a dyeing process was performedon the laminate in a 0.3 wt %, 25° C. iodine solution for 60 seconds.Thereafter, a washing process was performed on the laminate in a 25° C.,1 wt % boric acid solution for 15 seconds, and a stretching process wasperformed on the laminate in a 52° C., 2.5 wt % boric acid solution tostretch the laminate with a stretching ratio of 7 times. After thestretching process, a complementary coloring process was performed onthe stretched laminate in a 5 wt % potassium iodide (KI) solution, and adrying process was performed in an oven at 80° C. for 5 minutes. Afterthe drying process, the PVA films were peeled off the thermoplasticpolyurethane film by applying a peel force of 1.1 N/2 cm. In this way, athin polarizer having a thickness of 6.7 μm was manufactured.

EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLE 1 Parameter Measurement

In each of the examples and comparative examples, widths of the polymerfilm and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film were measured before and afterstretching by using a general scale, and thicknesses of the polymer filmand the polyvinyl alcohol-based film were measured before and afterstretching by using a thickness measuring tool (TESA Mu-hite ElectronicHeight Gauge 100 mm). Then, values L were calculated as shown in Table 1below.

TABLE 1 (d_(sub)/ (d_(PVA)/ (W_(sub)/ (W_(PVA)/ NOs. d_(o, sub))d_(o, PVA)) W_(o, sub)) W_(o, PVA)) L Example 1 0.267 0.250 0.533 0.5880.057 Example 2 0.323 0.223 0.533 0.600 0.120 Example 3 0.325 0.3800.430 0.385 0.071 Example 4 0.378 0.390 0.360 0.380 0.023 Example 50.333 0.375 0.378 0.378 0.043 Comparative 0.267 0.193 0.544 0.650 0.129Example 1 Comparative 0.270 0.430 0.568 0.691 0.202 Example 2Comparative 0.178 0.335 0.500 0.390 0.192 Example 3

In table 1 above, d_(o,sub) refers to a thickness of the polymer filmbefore stretching, d_(sub) refers to a thickness of the polymer filmafter stretching, d_(o,PVA) refers to a thickness of the polyvinylalcohol-based film before stretching, d_(PVA) refers to a thickness ofthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching, W_(o,sub) refers to awidth of the polymer film before stretching, W_(sub) refers to a widthof the polymer film after stretching, W_(o,PVA) refers to a width of thepolyvinyl alcohol-based film before stretching, and W_(PVA) refers to awidth of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching.

Data in Table 1 above are plotted in the graph of FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, thex-axis “normalized thickness” denotes a ratio of a thickness of a filmafter stretching to a thickness of the film before stretching, and they-axis “normalized width” denotes a ratio of a width of a film afterstretching to a width of the film before stretching.

As shown in Table 1 above and FIG. 2, Examples 1 to 5 of the presentdisclosure result in values L (calculated by Formula 1) within theabove-proposed range. However, Comparative Examples 1 to 3 result invalues L greater than 0.125.

EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLE 2 Optical Property Measurement

Optical properties of the thin polarizers manufactured in the examplesand comparative examples were measured by a spectrophotometer, JASCOV-7100, and measurement results are shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Single Degrees of Per- trans- polari- Single pendicular mittancezation colors colors NOs. L (%) (%) a b a b Example 1 0.057 40.4899.9837 −0.48 1.75 0.87 −1.50 Example 2 0.120 40.80 99.9521 −0.84 1.381.21 −3.45 Example 3 0.071 40.72 99.9873 −0.74 1.68 0.84 −1.45 Example 40.023 40.81 99.9924 −0.85 1.96 0.73 −1.15 Example 5 0.043 40.85 99.9931−0.87 2.01 0.71 −1.10 Comparative 0.129 40.17 98.9526 0.73 1.97 4.140.87 Example 1 Comparative 0.202 33.22 98.5009 2.23 0.52 6.09 −3.72Example 2 Comparative 0.192 40.83 98.5938 −1.68 1.36 1.78 −2.92 Example3

In table 2, single transmittance refers to the transmittance of a singlepolarizer. The degree of polarization is [(Tp−Tc)/(Tp+Tc)]^(0.5) whereTp refers to parallel transmittance of two polarizers, and Tc refers toperpendicular transmittance of two polarizers.

In addition, single colors a and b refer to colors measured from asingle polarizer by using a color-difference meter, and perpendicularcolors a and b refer to colors measured from a pair of polarizersdisposed with absorption axes thereof being perpendicular to each otherby using a color-difference meter.

In addition, colors a and b are color values in CIE coordinates. Indetail, the color a is calculated by a=500[(X/Xn)^(1/3)−(Y/Yn)^(1/3)],and +a refers to red and −a refers to green. The color b is calculatedby b=200[(Y/Yn)^(1/3)−(Z/Zn)^(1/3)], and +b refers to yellow and −brefers to blue. In the above, Xn, Yn, and Zn correspond to X, Y, and Zof a reference color, white.

That is, single colors a and b refer to CIE coordinate values measuredfrom a single polarizer by using a color-difference meter, andperpendicular colors a and b refer to CIE coordinate values measuredfrom a pair of polarizers disposed with absorption axes thereof beingperpendicular to each other by using a color-difference meter.

Referring to Table 2 above, each of the thin polarizers of Examples 1 to5 having parameters within the range proposed in the present disclosurehas a degree of polarization equal to or greater than 99.9% (that is,having superior optical characteristics) because the degree oforientation of a polyvinyl alcohol-iodine complex is increased owing tosimilar behaviors of the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm during a stretching process. However, the thin polarizers ofComparative Examples 1 to 3 having parameters outside of the rangeproposed by the present disclosure have relatively poor opticalcharacteristics.

While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications andvariations could be made without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure as defined by the appended claims.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERAL

-   H: Holder-   A: Polyvinyl alcohol-based film-   B: Polymer film-   MD: Longitudinal stretching direction

The invention claimed is:
 1. A stretched laminate formed by stretching alaminate comprising: a non-stretched polymer film; and a non-stretchedpolyvinyl alcohol-based film attached to at least one surface of thenon-stretched polymer film, wherein L, expressed by Formula 1 below,satisfies 0<L ≦0.125, $\begin{matrix}{L = \left\lbrack {\left\{ {\left( \frac{d_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{d_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{d_{PVA}}{d_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2} + \left\{ {\left( \frac{W_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{W_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{W_{PVA}}{W_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2}} \right\rbrack^{0.5}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$ where d_(o,sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer filmbefore stretching, d_(sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer filmafter stretching, d_(o,PVA) refers to a thickness of the polyvinylalcohol-based film before stretching, d_(PVA) refers to a thickness ofthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching, W_(o,sub′) refers toa width of the polymer film before stretching, W_(sub′) refers to awidth of the polymer film after stretching, W_(o,PVA) refers to a widthof the polyvinyl alcohol-based film before stretching, and W_(PVA)refers to a width of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching,wherein the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film areattached to each other by using an attractive force therebetween or anadhesive, wherein, in the stretched laminate, an adhesive force betweenthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film and the polymer film is 2 N/2 cm orless, and wherein the polymer film is a thermoplastic polyurethane film.2. A method of manufacturing a thin polarizer, the method comprising:forming a laminate by attaching a non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-basedfilm to at least one surface of a non-stretched polymer film; andstretching the laminate such that L, expressed by Formula 1 below,satisfies 0<L ≦0.125, $\begin{matrix}{L = \left\lbrack {\left\{ {\left( \frac{d_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{d_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{d_{PVA}}{d_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2} + \left\{ {\left( \frac{W_{{sub}^{\prime}}}{W_{o,{sub}^{\prime}}} \right) - \left( \frac{W_{PVA}}{W_{o,{PVA}}} \right)} \right\}^{2}} \right\rbrack^{0.5}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$ where d_(o,sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer filmbefore stretching, d_(sub′) refers to a thickness of the polymer filmafter stretching, d_(o,PVA) refers to a thickness of the polyvinylalcohol-based film before stretching, d_(PVA) refers to a thickness ofthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching, W_(o,sub′) refers toa width of the polymer film before stretching, W_(sub′) refers to awidth of the polymer film after stretching, W_(o,PVA) refers to a widthof the polyvinyl alcohol-based film before stretching, and W_(PVA)refers to a width of the polyvinyl alcohol-based film after stretching,wherein the polymer film and the polyvinyl alcohol-based film areattached to each other by using an attractive force therebetween or anadhesive, wherein, in the stretched laminate, an adhesive force betweenthe polyvinyl alcohol-based film and the polymer film is 2 N/2 cm orless, and wherein the polymer film is a thermoplastic polyurethane film.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the stretching of the laminate isperformed in such a manner that the polyvinyl alcohol-based film has athickness of 60 μm or less before the stretching and a thickness of 10μm or less after the stretching.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein thestretching of the laminate is performed within a temperature range of20° C. to 80° C. at a stretching ratio of 5 times to 15 times.
 5. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the stretching of the laminate is performedin an aqueous boric acid solution having a boric acid content of 1 wt %to 5 wt %.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein after the stretching of thelaminate, a width of the polymer film measured in a directionperpendicular to a stretching direction is reduced by 30% to 80% ascompared to that of the polymer film measured before the stretching, anda thickness of the polymer film is reduced by 30% to 80% as compared tothat of the polymer film measured before the stretching.
 7. The methodof claim 2, wherein before the stretching of the laminate, the methodfurther comprises dyeing the non-stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based filmwith one or more of iodine and a dichroic dye.
 8. The method of claim 2,wherein after the stretching of the laminate, the method furthercomprises separating the stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film from thestretched polymer film.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the separatingof the stretched polyvinyl alcohol-based film from the stretched polymerfilm is performed by applying a peel force of 2 N/2 cm or less.